A Fallen Leaf
by Mistygrass
Summary: Leafpaw was haunted by the Dark Forest's cats and their offer to join them or let her friends be killed. And slowly her leader and clan mates start to notice the change in her personality, specially her closest friend, Cedarpaw. Every thing changes when she was chosen to go on a quest to save the missing cats of the clans. A companion to The Trail of The Red Fern


**Chapter One - Harsh Words**

Leafpaw inwardly panicked, her eyes nervously darting from side to side as she searched for her friend, Cedarpaw. She had seen him earlier this morning and was afraid that he had gone missing like the other cats. Lately, cats had been disappearing out of nowhere, during scouting and even during hunting. She and the other apprentices had been warned to stay near camp and yowl if anything or any cat tried to take them.

_'What if Cedarpaw was captured and none of the cats had heard him?' _Leafpaw thought to herself as she frantically checked the apprentices' den again, for the third time. _'Oh, please be okay Cedarpaw!'_

Suddenly, Lilystar reached the top of the highrock and started speaking in a clear voice. "I have an announcement to make," started Lilystar, her aura commanding the attention of the other cats among the clan. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey come here beneath the highrock for a clan meeting!"

Leafpaw paused her search to pad over to the bottom of the highrock, waiting for her leader to speak again. She was so edgy that when her leader called her name, she jumped slightly. She turned around to see Lilystar flick her tail at her.

"Have you seen Stormpaw, Midnightpaw, or Blackpaw anywhere?" Asked the older she-cat, her head tilted as she stared at the tense apprentice. Leafpaw shook her head abruptly and frowned guiltily, she hadn't thought about her other friends.

"I'm sorry but I haven't...Have you seen Cedarpaw by any chance?" Leafpaw replied, eager to know if her leader has seen her best friend. Lilystar was quiet for a moment, her face scrunched in thought.

"No, I haven't seen him since yesterday. Have you, Leafpaw?"

"No, and I'm starting to get really worried." Mewed Leafpaw, looking at the ground with disappointment. Lilystar felt herself sadden at seeing the young one so upset.

_'What if I never see him again?' _Leafpaw thought in worry. Cedarpaw had been her friend ever since Leafpaw had opened her eyes, they were nearly inseparable. And now that he had disappeared so suddenly...

_'Don't think things like that! He's probably being stupid and got stuck or something.'_ Leafpaw thought to herself stubbornly, refusing to think anything bad happened to her best friend.

Lilystar was beginning to get nervous too, and she started pacing on the highrock. "Where could they be?" She mumbled quietly so that the apprentice didn't hear her. She glanced at Leafpaw to see the poor she-cat almost in tears and felt the need to clarify something for her.

"Don't worry," she says gently, eyes softening. "He's around, probably on his way from exploring the camp!" Lilystar smiled encouragingly towards Leafpaw, who was less tense and a bit more hopeful. She opened her mouth to thank the leader for the talk when Cedarpaw limped into the clearing. His paws buckled and he laid on the dusty ground, pain etched across his face.

Leafpaw shifted and dried her tears. "Where have you been?" Leafpaw angrily snapped at her friend, leaving out the fact that she'd been extremely worried for him and his safety.

"I went to explore the camp, and when I got into the bushes I got a thorn in my paw," he quickly explained, licking the fur on his left paw, which had blood dried on it. Leafpaw knew she should have let it go and taken him to the medicine cat's den for treatment, but she felt so frustrated with him.

She stuck her nose in the air and ignored what he said, knowing how much it would hurt him when she accused him, but she couldn't let him die...

_"If you even think about being kind to that little friend of yours, Cedarpaw, then we'll make sure he's the first one to die. Make the right choice Leafpaw, and don't be selfish."_

"Liar!" She exclaimed and turned her head away, trying to hide her feelings of horror for talking to Cedarpaw in such a way. She knew she was making the right choice, that she had to do this for him and the other clans. If she messed up, then they would have to pay the price for a mistake she made. She couldn't let that happen.

"I really had a thorn in my paw pad. Look!" He hissed back as tears rolled down his cheeks. Cedarpaw was in pain, because of Leafpaw's cold attitude towards him. He didn't know why, but she'd seemed like a completely different cat after the apprentice ceremony.

_'Why is she acting like this? What happened to my Leafpaw?'_ Cedarpaw wondered to himself as he kept his paw in the air for Leafpaw to see.

Leafpaw saw the thorn and held in her frown. _'He's seriously hurt! He needs to see Sunpool,' _thought Leafpaw as she inspected the wound. She felt the urge to take the thorn out and comfort her friend but held her actions back.

She couldn't mess up.

"I was telling the truth, and my pad still hurts badly. If you could stop arguing with me, then I wouldn't be feeling so much pain," meowed Cedarpaw as he felt his patience snap. Leafpaw was getting under his fur and he wasn't in the mood to be the mediator in their fight.

Leafpaw felt herself tear up at Cedarpaw's snappish words, but ignored her instinct to say she was sorry. She unsheathed her claws reluctantly and screeched at him, ready to at least scare him away. It worked. He backed away from her, eyes wide with surprise and betrayal.

"I hate you!" Yowled Leafpaw as she pretended to try and scratch her best friend, inwardly whispering her apologies to him. She kept this up until Lilystar stopped her pacing and noticed their little argument.

Cedarpaw stared at the she-cat in horror. "Leafpaw, I never knew you could be so...You're my closest friend and I love spending time with," he admitted to her, hurt evident in his voice. "But I don't know anymore, now that I've seen you like this."

Lilystar stared at the two apprentices with confusion; she'd heard their conversation and seen their love for each other. Leafpaw seemed like a different cat now that Cedarpaw was here and Cedarpaw seemed just as confused as Lilystar was. The she-cat apprentice was obviously hiding something, the leader could easily tell by the way Leafpaw's emotions kept changing. From dull anger to sadness, from rage to love, from betrayal to sadness.

She shook her head and knew she had to stop the fight before it got out of hand. "Stop it right now." Lilystar commanded calmly, but secretly, she was still bewildered. She turned to Cedarpaw and ordered him to go to Sunpool for treatment.

* * *

Sunpool had heard what was going on, and was just as confused, but waited silently and worked on Blackpaw's wounds. "You're wounds are deep," she murmured after applying the proper herbs. "You'll need to rest in my den for a while."

She nosed Blackpaw some poppy seeds and waited silently for the other apprentices to arrive. "Thank you Sunpool." Blackpaw meowed to her.

"You're welcome, Blackpaw," says Sunpool quietly, getting some moss from inside her den. "You can make yourself a nest over there, by the corner." She flicked her tail towards the corner of the den and he nodded, making his way towards the designated area.

Cedarpaw limped into the medicine den. "Sunpool can you help me get this thorn out from my pad?" He asked and showed his pad to her. Sunpool nodded and started gathering herbs for the wound for when she got it fixed.

She saw how deep it was and knew it must have been difficult walking around with it in Cedarpaw's pad. Sunpool began licking the thorn. When she was satisfied, she gripped it with her teeth and pulled it out, placing some chervil root on the wound; it was, as you might say, her special remedy.

"Don't walk on it too much," she ordered him, her voice stern.

"Thanks Sunpool," said Cedarpaw as he made his way back to the highrocks. His thoughts wandered to Leafpaw and he felt sorrow creep up on him. She use to be a caring and bright cat who was always up to doing reckless adventures. Now she was careful and mean, always snapping at people who tried to help her.

Then, he saw Leafpaw who was staring at him. When she noticed him catching her, she immediately looked at her paws which were scratched from her previous search for Cedarpaw. She hadn't noticed the stinging pain until now and regretted not going to Sunpool.

"Perhaps you should see Sunpool," stated Cedarpaw, his voice was monotonous and Leafpaw couldn't hear a trace of emotion. She felt guilty again, knowing she was the reason for his suffering.

"What, it's not like you care." Leafpaw whispered, more to herself than Cedarpaw. She started walking away, the opposite way of the medicine cat's den. "Nobody ever had." Cedarpaw stared at her back and suddenly, he realized that he did care, even though he shouldn't after what she had done. He cared when she was sick last moon, he cared when she had tripped, he cared when she smiled and laughed.

"I do, I always have." He breathed out, but it was too late. She was already gone. "I'm sorry."

* * *

"I need to be alone," she meowed walking towards the exit. She didn't even glance at her mentor, Woodtail, who she was passing by. The she-cat scowled at his apprentice's rude attitude.

"No, you don't," she mewed sharply, her eyes dark and demanding obedience. "One, your behavior has been unacceptable lately, and two, you know that apprentices can't go out of camp alone."

That was when Leafpaw snapped and rage appeared in her eyes. She dug her claws into the ground and gritted her teeth angrily, knowing that it was unwise to attack a senior warrior and her mentor. She had always been respectful to others, until she started having those horrible dreams.

Woodtail's tone was cold as she spoke. "You will never fight a clan mate of your again, is that clear?"

"Yes, oh-so-wise StarClan cat," Leafpaw snorted in reply, her body tense.

Woodtail lashed her tail in anger before calming herself. "I'm sure you'll be glad that for your first moon of training, you will be searching the elders for ticks, collecting moss, and let's see what else..."

A growled rumbled deep in her throat and she took her razor sharp claws out of the ground, she got ready to spring at her mentor. Woodtail rolled her eyes, and with her claws sheathed, batted Leafpaw away. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do with you," she said.

Woodtail laid her tail to rest firmly on Leafpaw's shoulders so she couldn't escape. "Come with me to the forest," she said, leading the way. Leafpaw followed, she still looked angry but her eyes were also full of sorrow.

When they were out of earshot of anyone, Woodtail looked into Leafpaw's eyes. "You haven't been yourself since you became an apprentice. All apprentices are getting more excited with each passing day, but you are only getting colder. What happened?"

Leafpaw closed her eyes and silently chanted to herself: _'She can't know, no one can. Just make up a lie!' _

"Monsters."

Woodtail was confused. "You've only been out of camp with me, training. You can't have seen any monsters... there are no thunderpaths anywhere near here."

Leafpaw bit back her reply and stayed silent, her eyes giving nothing away. Woodtail looked at her sternly before saying, "You know that you can tell me."

"I know," the young she-cat whispered, but Woodtail could tell she would get nowhere with her. So she sighed and led her apprentice back towards the highrocks, hoping that they didn't miss anything too important.

"I don't think these 'monsters' as you call them are that bad. Try to ignore them," mewed Woodtail as she flickered her tail towards Leafpaw as a sign of comfort and sympathy, but the she-cat stayed stoic. Woodtail just sighed in exasperation before padding up to where the other mentors sat, and joined them.

Leafpaw started making her way towards Cedarpaw and the others, who were all glaring at her. Only Cedarpaw was looking at her softly, misery clear in his eyes.

"You have no idea who these monsters are. They haunt your dreams and threaten your loved ones until you give in, Woodtail. I hope you don't ever have to hear their pressuring words. Because I already have become their pawn."

~End of Chapter One~


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